A Manchester estate agent has warned against a rise in ‘get rich quick’ schemes that appear to offer investors an easy way to make money from property. Carolyn Mellor, MD of Manchester estate agency chain homes4u, felt the need to speak out after she attended a recent workshop in the city centre and was left concerned at some of the advice that was given.

She said, “I was very shocked at some of the advice that was being handed out at the seminar I attended. Actually, some of it was downright irresponsible.

“The main area of concern was that people were being told they didn’t necessarily need savings or cash to buy properties at auction. In fact, the advice was to whack the property on your credit card. People need to be wary of ‘get rich quick’ schemes as they are often too good to be true.

“It was this type of irresponsible behaviour that contributed to getting the country in so much financial difficulty in the first place. I simply couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”

With shades of the damage done to the professional buy-to-let market by Inside Track and similar schemes which promised endless wealth to gullible members of the public (and delivered very little), this workshop was free to attend, with no mention of how the presenters cover their costs in the invitation.

More worryingly, the invitation leaflet attracted Ms Mellor as it was introduced by the TV presenter Martin Roberts (pictured), whose programmes include Homes Under The Hammer, although he was not at the workshop.

Is this the rebirth of the appalling schemes that encourage innocents abroad to rack up credit card debt buying unlettable properties? Let PROPERTYdrum known if you have heard of any of these workshops and whether they are good or bad. Email the Editor, Sheila@ propertydrum.com